Optima Properties' Blog

This "second wave" of foreclosures - combined with the fact that many people's 401(k)s have bounced back with the stock market, and most economists agree that the bottom of the recession has hit - means that competition for these foreclosed homes is, in many cases, fierce. There's a renewed, fina...

While buying a home is a huge financial expenditure, homeowners need to keep in mind that the spending doesn't stop once the home is purchased. Whether you are moving into a new or old home, homeowners need to be aware of the ongoing maintenance that any home requires. Dan Steward First, buyers s...

Buying and owning a home is a big expense -- besides the purchase price, there are the property taxes, heating and cooling costs, maintenance expenses...the list goes on. But the good news is that there are tax savings available to homeowners. Read on to find out about some of the top tax deducti...

Home values have dropped substantially across the nation, making it hard for consumers to understand why home insurance costs have increased 40%-50% during the same period.  Florida one of the top three most expensive states to insure a home ( along with Texas and Louisiana); the average policy c...

What many potential buyers in North Carolina do not know is that upon first substantial contact every single real estate broker should present them with the Working With Real Estate Agents Brochure.  This is a mandate from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.  This is our governing body her...

Vacation homes are offering plenty of good deals at the moment. In many second-home hot spots, prices are still close to five-year lows. For example, single-home prices in second-home hotspot Napa, Calif., are down 47 percent from their peak in 2006, according to Fiserv.If you have a buyer lookin...

TIME TO BUY: The cover story in the April edition of Fortune magazine trumpets that "housing is back." "After four years of plunging home prices, the most attractive asset class in America is housing," proclaims Fortune magazine, one of the world's premier business publications, in its April cove...

What You Need to Know and Do Credit reports have always been important, but they've grown even more important in recent years. Now more than ever, you need to make sure you understand what's on your credit report - and you need to know what steps you can take to improve your score. For example, d...

  Check out these tax tips for homeowners looking ahead to 2011 returns. Mortgage interest: Your biggest tax break is reflected in the house payment you make each month since, for most homeowners, the bulk of that check goes toward interest. And all that interest is deductible, unless your loan i...

It is the first day of Spring...so enjoy! Plan in the next couple of months to go through this list and address any issues that may apply to you. Keeping up with home maintenance allows you to experience the "quiet enjoyment" of your investment and helps to keep it from devalueing in the future....